Government of Ireland Bill 1893 facts for kids
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| Name and origin | |
|---|---|
| Official name of legislation | Government of Ireland Bill 1893 |
| Location | Ireland |
| Year | 1893 |
| Government introduced | Gladstone (Liberal) |
| Parliamentary passage | |
| House of Commons passed? | Yes |
| House of Lords passed? | No |
| Royal Assent? | Not Applicable |
| Defeated | |
| Which House | House of Lords |
| Which stage | 1st stage |
| Final vote | Content: 41; Not content 419 |
| Date | September 1893 |
| Details of legislation | |
| Legislature type | bicameral |
| Unicameral subdivision | none |
| Name(s) | upper: Legislative Council; lower: Legislative Assembly |
| Size(s) | Council: 48 elected by high franchise Assembly: 103 members |
| MPs in Westminster | 80 MPs |
| Executive head | Lord Lieutenant |
| Executive body | Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Ireland |
| Prime Minister in text | none |
| Responsible executive | no |
| Enactment | |
| Act implemented | not applicable |
| Succeeded by | Government of Ireland Act 1914 |
The Government of Ireland Bill 1893 is also known as the Second Home Rule Bill. It was the second try by William Ewart Gladstone, the leader of the Liberal Party and then Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, to give Ireland more control over its own local laws. The first attempt failed in the House of Commons. This second Bill passed the Commons, but it was stopped by the House of Lords.
Contents
Why Home Rule? The Background Story
William Ewart Gladstone became very keen on the idea of Home Rule for Ireland in 1885. Home Rule meant Ireland would have its own parliament to manage local issues, while still being part of the United Kingdom.
His first attempt at a Home Rule Bill in 1886 caused problems. Some members of his own party left to form the Liberal Unionist Party. This made Gladstone lose power. However, when he became prime minister again in 1892, he promised to try for Home Rule once more.
The main Irish political party, the Irish Parliamentary Party, had split up in 1891. This was due to disagreements over their leader, Charles Stewart Parnell. The party stayed divided until 1900.
Gladstone wrote this new Bill in secret, just like the first one. He did not let Irish politicians or even his own government ministers help. This led to a big mistake in the Bill. There was an error in how much money Ireland should pay to the British government. This mistake was found later and caused a lot of changes to the Bill's money plans.
Debating the Bill: A Tough Fight
The Bill faced many challenges. Even the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sir William Harcourt, was unhappy because he was not included in writing it.
On April 21, the Bill had its second vote in the House of Commons. It passed by 347 votes to 304.
By the time of the final vote on September 1, many parts of the Bill had not even been discussed. There was even a fight between politicians in the Commons! The Bill passed the Commons again, but by a smaller number of votes. It had lost much of its support.
What the Bill Proposed for Ireland
The Bill suggested some big changes for Ireland.
A New Irish Parliament
The Bill wanted to create an Irish parliament to handle local matters. This parliament would have two parts:
- A Legislative Council (like an upper house).
- A Legislative Assembly (like a lower house).
The Legislative Council
- This part would have 48 members.
- They would be elected for eight-year terms.
- To vote for these members, people needed to own property worth at least £20. This was a higher requirement than for the Assembly.
- Members would come from cities like Dublin, Belfast, and Cork, and from Ireland's 32 counties.
The Legislative Assembly
- This part would have 103 members.
- They would be elected for up to five years.
- The rules for voting would be similar to those for elections to the British Parliament.
- If the two parts of the Irish parliament disagreed, they would vote together after two years to solve the problem.
Who Would Run Ireland? The Executive
- The Bill suggested that the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland would lead the government in Ireland.
- This new government would be called the Executive Committee of the Privy Council of Ireland.
- The Bill did not mention a "prime minister" for Ireland. However, in other parts of the British Empire, a prime minister usually appeared even if not written in the law.
Irish Politicians in the British Parliament
The first Home Rule Bill did not allow any Irish politicians to sit in the British Parliament in Westminster. However, the 1893 Bill changed this. It said that 80 Irish politicians could still be members of the House of Commons in Westminster. This was fewer than the 103 Irish politicians who were there at the time.
Passed by Commons, Stopped by Lords
The Bill passed its second vote in the House of Commons on April 21, 1893. The final vote in the Commons was on September 1, 1893, and it passed again.
However, the Bill then went to the House of Lords. The House of Lords was mostly controlled by the Conservative Party. On September 8, 1893, the House of Lords voted against the Bill by a huge margin: 419 votes against, and only 41 in favor. This meant the Bill could not become law.
Gladstone retired soon after this defeat. Some historians believe that Gladstone's secret way of writing the Bills caused problems. This made it harder for his supporters and led to mistakes in the Bill's text.
See also
- Government of Ireland Bill 1886 (The First Irish Home Rule Bill)
- Government of Ireland Act 1914 (The Third Irish Home Rule Bill)
- Government of Ireland Act 1920 (The Fourth Irish Home Rule Bill)
- History of Ireland (1801–1923)
